The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-04-14
a Revolutionary Hero in Tennessee.


Joseph Brown, who for many years t
lived with his now venerable daugh t
ter, Mrs. Lindsay, and worshipped !
so often at old Moriah and frequent
ly with the G. p. church IN Pulas-
XII. He lived to be nearly a cen
tenarian, respected and honored of
all who knew him, and died in the
triumphs of faith in Christ:
In the time of the revolution this
region was tenanted by a fierce
tribe of Indians called the Chicka-
maugas. The first settlers of Nash
Vile came into collision with them
when they took their perilous way
down the Tennessee to that remote
outpost of civilization, and for .
many years they waged an unre
lentlng war upon the whites. Time
and again Sewer invaded their
strongholds at and near Chattanoo-
ga, burned their towns, destroyed
their crops, and drove the bravest
OF their warriors like frightened
deer to the mountains. But they
could not be subdued until Sewer
could discover their secret fast
nesses. Hiding in them till the
storm was over the miscreants |
would again emerge into the day
light, rebuild their birch bark cab
ms and resume their barbarous
| warfare.
For eighteen years they were the
| terror of the entire border. Sewer
was well-nigh everywhere, but even
his sleepless vigilance could. not
guard every scattered dwelling.
Issuing in small parties, these
wretches would fall at midnight
upon some unprotected farm house,
plumber and slay the occupants
and be back in their inaccessible
haunts before pursuit could be I'M
dertaden. Every white man prayed
for vengeance upon them, but IN
til their secret haunts were known
the prayer could not be answered.
At last, however, came the strip
ling David who was to meet Coli
ath of Gath, and through him the
power of the Chickamaugas was
broken.
He was boy of fifteen, named
Joseph Brown, and his story is a
rem arkable instance of long-stud-
: led vengeance in one so young; but
space will allow me to refer to only
2 two of its incidents. His father
had been awarded some land in the
: vicinity of Nashville for services in
e the revolution, and in 1888 he set
e out, with his family to settle upon
e them. Within few miles of Chat
!, tanooga his boat was suddenly sur
g rounded by about forty Indian ca
t noes, and in a few moments his
s headless body lay in the bottom OF
S the Tennessee. His two oldest
d sons and four other young men
: were at once murdered, and his
wife and four younger children
made prisoners. Joseph's captol
was young half breed brave named
s Chia-thatt-alla, who spared hi;
b life that he might be the slave o
l. his mother, a degraded French wo-
n mon who had been brought up anC
: married among the Chickamaugas
He took Joseph to her cabin, anC
then returned to the boat to secure
his share of the plumber. He hat
scarcely gone when there appeared
at the door of the cabin Cuttatoy
the head chief of the small town o
y Tuskegee, opposite Chattanooga
with dozen Of his warriors, de
handing the boy OF the French wo
u man. He said the lad was ole
ft enough to notice everything and i
allowed to live would escape, anC
If. some day pilot there an army to de
stloy them all. The boy could no
understand his words, but he dic
his actions. Z dozen knives ant
Is tomahawks cleaned above him, bu
;" they did not fall, for the woman
sprang before the boy, declarin.
O. now that be should not be murdered
i and saved his life.
5. For ianre than year the bo,
" was prisoner among the Chicka-
D. maugas, enduring all sorts of hard
e ships, but meanwhile diseoverin,
W all their hiding places in the noun
tains. Then he was liberated b,
John Sewer, and returned to hi
friends in South Carolina.
a. Then the words of Cutte-ator
l. came to him: He Is old enough
al to notice everything, and some da,
"a he will escape saud pilot an army
IS here" Again and again the word
"a came to the boy, till the idea be.
ID came his. controlling thought
a. Gradually then it began TO dawi
upon him that God had saved hi
+ life for purpose and that purpos,
is was vengeance upon the Chickamau
" gas.
IS But he kept bis thoughts tt
III himself, for experience had laugh
g him to be silent and patient and wa
he ry. SO he waited till he was nearl,
/ nineteen and had grown TO th,
statue of manhood. Then he pro
pOoCo w IdCuuGI W garry gu
! his fathers intention of settling or
IS their lands near Nashville. This b,
lie did to be within striking distanc,
of the Chickamaugas,
20 They travelled overland to Nash
g. vile, and on his fathers lands tn
lie boy, not yet nineteen, built cabin
$ and assumed the duties of head O
al the family.
N Now the youth thought himsel
e, old enough to take a part in tn
8, bloody drama that was being en-.
oil acted everywhere about him. H
81 repaired to james Robertson, VIII
Sc had military command of the Nast;
re vile district, and told him that b
r knew the secret Businesses of tn
Ell river Indians, and could pilot a
ne army to their rear which might dc
~ stroy them. Robertson heard hir
ed gladly, but shook his head, sayin
e that he could do nothing. The OF
en- ders of the government were i'm
Is, perative that She and Sewer shout
OF act strictly on the defensive, an
w under no circumstances invad
he tho CharoLan oouotryr Npoip u 81